New apple treats! My coffees this week were made with Califia Farms caramel apple crumble creamer.
See also – apple seltzer and caramel apple energy drink.
Loved these rosemary and herbs buckwheat crackers.
Trail mix blend – smoked almonds, dried fruit (apples, peaches, and persimmon), and Simple Mills Pop Mmms cheddar crackers.
Leftover blueberry cream pie in plain skyr with fresh blueberries. <– best bite of the week
We hopped on the candy salad trend and ended up with a pretty good mix – apple harvest Sour Patch Kids, grape strawberry Nerds gummy clusters, watermelon rings with Tajin, and Target sour gummy insects.
Big salads. Red leaf lettuce, balsamic dressing, smoked almonds, smoked tofu, sharp cheddar, and Oishii strawberries.
Pasta night. Basil peso plin pasta from Whole Foods with Rao’s marinara, duck fennel sausage, and parmesan cheese. Plus roasted purple cauliflower.
It is normal to have a weekly food theme, yes? This week had two – the 1st week of Apple Month and breakfasts for dinners! On-theme highlights included…
{Apples} Duh.
Over Easy apple cinnamon granola bar (7.5/10).
Health-Ade pink lady apple kombucha (8/10).
Trader Joe’s apple chips (9/10) with a caramel apple iced matcha – matcha with caramel, apple cider, and Spindrift lime and mint seltzer.
Jelly Belly cinnamon and apple mix jelly beans (8/10).
Caramel apple cocktail – apple whiskey with apple cider, lime mint seltzer, and caramel.
{Breakfasts/Brinners} Trader Joe’s coconut cold brew. I actually really don’t like this and need to stop forgetting and rebuying it every two years or so but one morning I had a cup with young coconut water and sweetened condensed milk and that was great.
A complete breakfast coffee shake – iced coffee with half and half, cold brew powder, brown sugar, vanilla protein powder, edible glitter, frozen banana, and Lucky Charms!
Matzoh brie. We used egg and onion matzoh and it was fantastic. I top mine with salt and sugar. Plus roasted purple cauliflower.
Blueberry cottage cheese pancakes. This recipe but I used all-purpose flour, skipped the maple in the batter, and added a bit of lemon juice. These were great. I ditched my plate for a larger one so I could smoother them in maple syrup though.
Paired with the best green smoothie I’ve ever made – frozen spinach, mango, and banana, with hibiscus powder, vanilla protein powder, and water.
Egg burrito from Roast. Scrambled eggs, avocado, crispy potatoes, peppers, onions and hot sauce aioli. Plus their sweet potato tots and (homemade) green beans sauteed with honey and mustards.
Paired with a fantastic mimosa sour IPA from Abomination Brewing.
Ming Bings plant-based sausage, egg, and cheese bing. With yellow squash and fairytale eggplant that I roasted and then sauteed with gochujang, tahini, sesame oil, brown sugar, and water. After the matzoh these veggies were my favorite bite of the week!
Yogurt bowls. This one was plain skyr, plucot, blackberries, blueberries, crunchy peanut butter, and Nature’s Path blueberry cinnamon flax cereal.
The Sprinkles red velvet cake cup is good but not as good as the birthday cake one.
I made two-ingredient ice cream with burrata mixed in. It was good but not great but this bowl with honey and aged balsamic vinegar was pretty great.
Nuts Factory viral Dubai pistachio chocolate bar. This was the most amazing dessert we’ve ever eaten. We ate a whole bar in one night and then went back to our mall to buy a second one the next day.
Lox plates. Radish cakes / heirloom tomatoes with salt and pepper / cream cheese mixed with sauteed garleek / fried capers / avocado with togarashi / cold-smoked sockeye salmon.
Pasta bowls. Goodles cavatappi / sauteed ground turkey / sauteed mushrooms and garleek / salt, pepper, smoked paprika, mustard powder, and gochugaru / dijon mustard / cream cheese / parmesan cheese. With sauteed asparagus with lemon and butter.
We had an amazing weekend including lots of snacks, coffees, walking, and great sights!
Saturday we took the LIRR into Manhattan, walked down to the Seaport, took the Ikea ferry to Brooklyn, walked through Red Hook back to Fort Greene, then took the LIRR back home. <– a perfect day!
Some highlights…
Kismet Coffee Company‘s Rocket Fuel cold brew with coconut milk, amaretto syrup, and pina colada mix.
Honey mustard protein pretzels. These were filling and nicely spiced; I would buy them again.
Mentos fruity jelly drink, basically a nonalcoholic version of the jelly sake I am obsessed with.
Bon Bon’s Red Hook location is as lovely and uncrowded as their Williamsburg one!
The Bakery at Greywind convinced us we need to come back for dinner at the restaurant ASAP. We had a fudgy brownie with sesame and citrusy brown butter cake.
Clover Club for cocktails. Cannonball Cola – spiced rum, overproof rum, cherry cola cordial, pineapple, and lime / Dear Judy – brioche-infused gin, blueberry alpine amaro, lemon, maple, egg white, and blueberry essence / Rouge Wave – Guyanese and Jamaican white rums, blue curaçao, coconut, condensed milk, pineapple, lemon, and orgeat.
Brunch at the Dogwood Cafe pop-up at Figure Eight was my favorite thing we did all weekend. Black sesame cloud cold brew topped with the best meringue I’ve ever eaten.
Steamed egg breakfast sandwich with cheddar and chili aioli on a sweet bolobao.
Duck yogurt croissant and a yuzu lavender Kouign Amann.
Red Hook Tavern exceeded my (high!) expectations. Provence Julep – gin, mint, Provencal Cavaillon melon, sloe gin, Lillet Blanc, and lime / Isle Old Fashioned – Toki whiskey, Giffard Pineapple, allspice dram, and jerk bitters.
We shared the kale salad with toasted almonds, gouda, and champagne dijon vinaigrette.
The burger with American cheese and white onions.
And the cavatelli with oxtail ragu.
Fan Chinese. I had perfect spicy dry-fried Sichuan chicken.
PB&J things. Smash Bites with chia seed jam. These were a bit savory-sweet and had a great texture; I ended up loving them.
Yogurt bowl. Plain skyr with crunchy peanut butter, blueberry jam, and blueberries and blackberries.
Chip City peanut butter cookie (perfect blend of chewy and crispy) stuffed with grape jelly.
Turkey. We baked thin patties out of ground turkey, seasonings, and parmesan cheese. On toasted whole-wheat bread with an artichoke spread (plain Skry, marinated artichokes, dijon mustard, and lemon juice). Plus roasted cauliflower.
Chicken. Chopped on hero – baked chicken breast (marinated in yogurt, gochujang, and oyster sauce), sharp cheddar, radish kimchi (crisped in a skillet with green onions and sugar), and Kewpie mayo. Plus roasted brussel sprouts.
Beef. Takeout from Roast – roast beef with mozzarella, horseradish sauce, garlic butter, and crispy onions on an everything ciabatta / shaved rib eye, mozzarella, and garlic aioli on a housemade onion hero / fries. Plus green beans that I steamed then sautéed with honey, mustard, and vinegar.
Crab. Rangoon-style filling (crab meat, green onion, sharp cheddar, sugar, sweet chili sauce, and cream cheese) on toasted whole wheat bread. Plus roasted zucchini.
Kings Coast Coffee. I got a great iced latte with toasted coconut syrup.
Chocolate mint protein bars – NuGo and Barebell, both 9.5/10.
We give these Cheddies crackers two thumbs up; they are nicely cheesy and crunchy.
Fried brussel sprouts (leftover from a fantastic Friday night sushi dinner at Kissaki) with togarashi, sharp cheddar, and a fried egg.
Crunchy tacos from Burrito Blvd. With chicken, zucchini, corn salsa, tomato salsa, mild salsa, and cheddar.
Lido Kosher Deli is one of our favorite Long Island spots. It doesn’t hurt that we usually go after an ocean-front run on the Long Beach boardwalk! Pastrami stuffed into a knish can’t miss. They have great cole slaw and house-made pickles.
Summer salad plate – plum, plucot, Midnight roma tomatoes, fried halloumi, baked tofu (marinated in honey, vinegar, olive oil, dijon mustard, and harissa), honey, and za’atar chili crisp.
This week marked Webster’s thirteenth Buyday! We celebrated with a walk at Edgewood Oak Brush Plains Preserve.
Plus smashburgers from Paper Plate. The dog and I shared a double 🙂
The human family members also enjoyed some fries.
Also we checked out Kismet Coffee and had a honey vanilla latte. They were out of skim milk and the pistachio milk was surprisingly pleasant.
Snacks this week were most bougie/international candies. The last of my Bon Bon stash.
Blueberry and sour passionfruit gummies (both 9.5/10’s!).
Colombian guava caramel candies.
My parents sent me this hibiscus sugar for my birthday so I tried it in some fun drinks.
Like a smoothie with frozen blueberries, vanilla protein powder, and water.
And in cold foam on an iced matcha.
One of my favorite dinner combinations is cole slaw with baked chicken. This bowl was Bang Bang inspired! Cabbage slaw with plain skyr, sweet chili sauce, honey, rice vinegar, Sriracha, mayo, and dijon mustard and baked chicken that was marinated in skyr, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, sesame oil, oyster sauce, and sweet chili sauce.
Turkey Laab. Paired with roasted zucchini and a mix of brown rice and roasted riced cauliflower.
Leftover cauliflower/rice with marinated kale (basically this recipe) and cheesy scrambled eggs.
Tofu – baked shredded super firm tofu that I tossed in a skillet with Trader Joe’s yuzu green tea jelly, gochujang, rice vinegar, and sesame oil / sauteed baby bok choy with ginger and sesame seeds / radish cakes from the 99 Ranch freezer section.
It was a FANTASTIC weekend! We had perfect Brooklyn dates (Gowanus and Williamsburg) with the best foods, drinks, sights, and walks.
Some highlights…
Blue Brown. We really enjoyed this coffee spot and shared an espresso with palm juice and a dirty Thai iced tea.
Homemade coffee shake. Iced coffee with frozen banana, half and half, instant coffee powder, black sesame paste, vanilla protein powder, and brown sugar.
Yogurt bowl. Plain skyr with Heritage Flakes, plucot, blueberries, and birthday cake granola butter + sprinkles.
NYC tip – the Williamsburg location of Bon Bon has a beautiful storefront and all of the selections of the Lower East Side location with a tenth of the line.
Pokito is my favorite bar in the city. My paloma jell-o shot was a work of art and my frozen rum punch came with a bird I got to keep.
Finback Brewery. They didn’t have small pours/flights so I skipped beer and got a delicious Guavamente cocktail – gin, guava, sorel, lemon, and nutmeg.
Three’s Brewing. We tried a few small pours and had a nice smoked peach saison that obviously couldn’t compare their Super Burrito window. We shared a California-style burrito with carne asada, french fries, jack cheese, guacamole, sour cream, and salsa.
Taglio Pizza takeout (buffalo chicken and vodka slices for me) with roasted shredded brussels sprouts and homemade Greek yogurt ranch dip.
Cafe Mars. Aka “unusual Italian.” Aka my favorite meal I’ve ever eaten. My photos were not great with the lighting but the food tasted spectacular. Also the inside was a neon retro dream. [photo from their Instagram]
I had an unphotographed El Diablo – tequila, ginger, lime, and cassis. The service was impeccable and we also started and ended the evening with complimentary drinks. We shared a bunch of things and have some very exciting leftovers. Inside Out Italian Beef – thin sliced Italian spiced chuck eye wrapped around focaccia and giardiniera and served with pepperoncini-beef jus.
Cucamelon – with cucumber, smoked trout roe, and whey granita.
Fried nectarines (my favorite savory dish I have ever been served) – with heirloom tomatoes, ricotta, and shiso. Also garlic knot monkey bread with red sauce.
Waves – homemade pasta, with shrimp, zucchini, mint, squash blossoms, and Calabrian chili. This was the other dish that blew me away; the sauce was a tiny bit sour in a way that balanced everything perfectly.
Scallops with new potato salad, cured egg yolk, and spicy cucumber salad.
Steak Pizzaiola with penne fries.
Desserts – liquor soaked cake with a chocolate pudding sauce and candied eggplant (not for me, apparently, though Adam liked it) and a watermelon sorbet with pistachio cookies and sea salt.
Shalom Japan. Another wonderful dinner where we shared and loved many things. Two cocktails that were greatly enjoyed but I can’t remember a thing about.
Corn ribs with Kewpie, parmesan, chili, and lime. Their special was the best dish of the night, a take on a caprese salad – heirloom tomatoes, plums, umeboshi dressing, koji-marinated tofu, and shiso.
Okonomiyaki with Wagyu pastrami and bonito flakes.
Lox bowl with sushi rice, avocado, Japanese pickles, fried capers (<– divine), and chili mayo.
Matzoh ball ramen soup. We added a foie gras dumpling and a soy-marinated egg.
P.S. I couldn’t take a photo because I was immediately sticky but we also had a Milk Bar marshmallow gooey brownie that was a 20/10.
Eating Chalk 